The Scream
by JPsmiles
Summary: As his birthday arrives Face has some anger he needs to get out.
1. Chapter 1

Title: The Scream  
>Rating: PG<br>Summary: As his birthday arrives Face has some anger he needs to get out. 

Face screamed from the very depth of his soul. It came from his gut and out through his mouth. It was a primal sound that was foreign to his ears. He had never heard such a sound come from anybody or anything before, let alone out of his own mouth. But, God, did it feel good to let go! He continued screaming until his throat was raw and no more sound would come out.  
>**********************************************************************<p>

The day before

"_Daddy, Daddy!" the little girl squealed as she ran toward him. Her blond pig-tails bobbed up and down; her blue eyes sparkled in the sun. _

_He leaned over and scooped her up in his arms and tossed her up in the air. She giggled with delight and threw her arms around his neck planting a giant kiss on his cheek. _

"_I love you daddy," she whispered in his ear. _

_He hugged her tight and felt warmth in his heart like never before. He closed his eyes and squeezed her even tighter. "I love you too, sweetheart," he answered back."_

"Gee Peck, I didn't know how much you cared!" Decker sneered from across the room hearing Face mumbling in his sleep. "You must have cracked your head harder than I thought!" he said with a chuckle.

Face bolted upright in his bed, but immediately regretted it as the room began turning around him. He fell backwards with a groan and closed his eyes again.

Damn, it had only been a dream.

The last thing he remembered was losing control of the van and crashing into a wall while trying to escape Decker and his men. The van! Face groaned again...B.A. was going to kill him for wrecking it. Before Face left to get some supplies, the big guy warned him not to 'go messin' up my ride, man'. Maybe it was a good thing he was behind bars...this way B.A. couldn't strangle him.

"What's the matter, Lieutenant, not feeling so hot?" Decker questioned opening up a file folder on his desk. "A few broken ribs and a knock on the head is the only damage done from that little car chase you put us through earlier. I think you got off rather easy!"

Face didn't say anything; he just stared up at the ceiling wishing he could go back to his dream. It had felt so real.

"Well, well, well," Decker said standing up and walking toward Face's cell with the folder. "If I had known that tomorrow was your birthday, I would have baked you a cake! Oh, and it's a big one too...30!"

He noticed a look of surprise on the younger man's face, before he replaced it with a blank stare. Could it be that Peck hadn't known? He knew that Peck had grown up an orphan, so perhaps he really didn't know? Decker felt a brief pang of sadness for the younger man...that couldn't have been an easy childhood.

Face's insides were churning. Tomorrow was his birthday. And not just any birthday...it was his thirtieth.

Face knew when his birthday was, but it wasn't something he liked to think about. In the orphanage, birthdays were not something to be celebrated. A birthday meant that you were turning another year older and that your chances of being adopted were diminishing. As a result, Face was in the habit of letting the day pass quietly like any other day. The guys knew how he felt and would simply wish him a happy birthday and not make a big deal of it. This year, however, the day had snuck up on him and he hadn't even realized.

"It looks like I'm getting one hell of a gift for _your_ birthday this year, Peck!" Decker smirked, his moment of pity replaced by the elation of catching a member of the A-team. It would only be a matter of time before Smith and Baracus tried to rescue their friend, and this time he wouldn't let them get away. As if on cue, there was a blast outside the door and smoke began filling the room.

Face heard the blast and the following commotion, but he could only lay there. He tried to get himself up to help his friends, but the pain in his head and gut was too great. Plus, the smoke was only adding to his dizziness and nausea.

As Hannibal and B.A. handled the soldiers, Murdock opened up the cell and came over to Face's bed. "This isn't the best time to be sleeping on the job, Muchacho," he joked with a concerned look on his face. "Do you think you can walk?" he asked helping Face to sit up. When Face didn't reply he got his answer. Face was breathing hard and looking like he might pass out at any second.

"How is he?" Hannibal yelled out to Murdock while tying Decker up in his chair.

"He's gonna need some help getting out of here...he's not looking so good." Murdock said as Face's head fell against his shoulder.

"You won't get away with this Smith!" Decker snarled as he struggled against the ropes.

Hannibal pulled a cigar out of his jacket pocket and smiled. "Sure we will, Decker...we always do. You just happen to be a very slow learner." He blew a puff of smoke into Decker's face and went over to check on his second in command.

Seeing Hannibal walking over, Face didn't want him to know how bad he was hurting. He already felt like a fool for getting caught; he just wanted to go home and forget this ever happened. "I'm fine, Hannibal," he said weakly trying to stand up to show just how fine he was. Instead, he fell forward and passed out into his commander's arms.

"Sure you are, kid," Hannibal couldn't help but grin. "B.A., take Face out to the van. Murdock, help me lock these gentlemen inside of the cell."

B.A. carefully lifted Face away from Hannibal and headed for the stairs. While it would have been a lot easier to take the elevator, he didn't want to risk being spotted. Face started to stir when they exited the building and the cool air hit him.

"Hey Faceman," B.A. said gently. "I'm gonna sit you down on the ground so I can open up the van, okay?"

Face gave B.A. a quizzical look. "But, didn't I wreck the van? Sorry," he whispered.

B.A. placed Face down so he was leaning against the very vehicle he thought he destroyed. "Nah, you didn't wreck it. Smashed up the front pretty good, but I'll fix her up in no time."

He helped Face up and into the van. Normally he would have threatened to pound his friend for crashing his ride. But, he could see that the guy was really hurting. Face's jaw was clenched and he was sweating pretty heavily. Plus, he knew that Face was trying to escape Decker when he had the accident...it wasn't as if he was out joyriding.

By the time Hannibal and Murdock got to the van Face had fallen asleep much to everyone's relief. They didn't quite know what to say to Face at times. Murdock and B.A. loved him like a brother and Hannibal loved him like a son, but Face was a hard one to read. They had been on the run together for more than a decade, yet at times they felt as if they didn't really know the guy. He acted as if he were a suave rich boy wearing his fancy clothes and living in posh surroundings. But underneath all that false bravado was a scared and vulnerable man with more issues than Time Magazine.


	2. Chapter 2

Title: The Scream  
>Rating: PG<br>Summary: As his birthday arrives Face has some anger he needs to get out. 

"_Daddy, can we go fishing later?" asked the little blonde boy looking up at him with hopeful blue eyes._

"_Sure we can go fishing! How about after lunch?" he replied sitting down on the floor next to the boy._

"_Yay! I'm gonna catch a real big one!" The little boy held his arms out wide to demonstrate the size of fish he planned on reeling in._

"_I'm sure you will, son." He smiled at the word 'son'; nobody had ever called him that. "Son" he said softly, just to hear the word come out of his mouth again._

"What's Faceman mumblin' about, Hannibal?" B.A. asked, turning his head to look at the sleeping figure.

"He keeps saying 'son'…must be having some sort of dream." Hannibal said placing his hand on Face's forehead. "He's feeling pretty warm too. Let's head to Face's place, he'll be most comfortable there when he wakes up."

"I'm worried about Face," Murdock said with a sigh.

"Don't worry 'bout Faceman," B.A. consoled the pilot, knowing how much he looked up to the man. "He's seen much worse…he'll be fine in a couple of days."

"No, it's not his injuries that worry me. Face hasn't been himself lately…he seems preoccupied," Murdock explained. Face was his best friend and one of the sharpest guys he knew. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but something was off.

"Now that you mention it, he has seemed a little distant lately," Hannibal agreed pulling out a cigar. He pulled out a match to light it, but stopped short as he realized that cigar smoke might not be the best thing for Face at the moment. "I mean, it isn't like him to let Decker get so close to him without noticing."

"Well, we all know what tomorrow is," B.A. said shaking his head.

"I didn't."

All three men turned to look at Face. His eyes remained closed and his voice sounded weary.

"I didn't remember until Decker was kind enough to remind me. I guess I just don't want to remember anymore." His voice cracked and he cleared his throat trying to cover it up.

Hannibal, B.A. and Murdock remained quiet in the hope that this would encourage Face to keep talking. After an uncomfortable few minutes, their silence was rewarded.

Face opened his feverish eyes and said, "I heard you guys talking before. I'm fine. Decker just got lucky is all. Really, there isn't anything wrong."

He could see by the looks on his friend's faces that they weren't buying his "I'm fine" routine, and he knew that it was time to turn on the charm and change the subject.

He put one of his trademark smiles on his face and joked, "C'mon guys, with my cracked skull and matching cracked ribs, you don't get much finer than me."

Hannibal knew that Face was hiding something…he was anything but fine. However, he didn't want to make matters worse, so he said, "Okay Face. Let's get you home and patch you up." He patted Face on the knee and added, "Just remember that we're here for you kid…if you need us."

Face nodded and smiled, trying to force down the lump he felt in his throat. He knew they were there for him, what he didn't know is how to let them in.

Once they arrived at Face's residence, he immediate regretted his latest scammed choice. Normally a beach front property would have been terrific. Unfortunately, in order to get into this particular house, one first had to climb a gazillion stairs. And in Face's current condition, this was going to be a slow and painful process.

Originally Hannibal had counted on Face being unconscious and having B.A. carry the smaller man inside. There was no way that Face would agree to that now that he was awake; his pride would never allow it. Sure enough, Face insisted that he was "fine" and could climb the stairs unassisted. He made it up approximately half a flight before he stopped. He was clutching the railing for dear life and gasping for air. His ribs ached horribly and his head throbbed in rhythm with them.

"Faceman, let me help ya before you fall over and break somethin' else," B.A. grunted as he put his hand on Face's back for support. Face opened his mouth to protest, but shut it again realizing that the big guy was right. He nodded his head at in approval and together the pair continued to climb. By the time they reached the door, Face was leaning heavily on B.A. struggling to stay vertical. B.A. could feel Face trembling and knew that he was physically at the end of his rope. This time he didn't ask permission as he picked Face up, and Face didn't try to object; he was grateful for the rest. B.A. carried him into the bedroom and lay him down on the bed.

"Just relax for a while, Faceman," he said heading for the door.

"Relax? Yeah, that's gonna happen. Hannibal's gonna be all over me in about two seconds," Face moaned, running his hand through his uncharacteristically disheveled hair. B.A. smiled at Face's dramatics and headed for the door.

"B.A. thanks...um, thanks for the help," Face said sheepishly before B.A. closed the door.

"No problem man. Now get some rest before Hannibal does get his hands on you."

Sure enough, minutes after B.A. left, Face heard a knock on the door and in walked Hannibal. Face tried to sit up in the bed, still trying to downplay his injuries. Hannibal put his hand on Face's shoulder gently holding him down.

"Stay down, Lieutenant," he said sitting down on the edge of the bed. "Now, I want you to tell me exactly what happened this morning." Face could tell that Hannibal meant business. Anytime he called one of his men by their title he was pulling rank, reminding them that he was still their commanding officer.

Face took a deep breath, or at least as deep of a breath as his broken ribs would allow. "I was in the hardware store getting the supplies you requested when I heard the sirens. I swear they came out of nowhere...usually I can feel it when I'm being followed." Face paused, dropping his head slightly and avoiding Hannibal's gaze. "I used the back door and took off in B.A.'s van, but Decker and his men had me surrounded. They chased me into an alley. I tried to break, but I guess I was going too fast. The last thing I remember is crashing into the wall and waking up behind bars." He looked back up at Hannibal again, this time looking him in the eyes and added, "Sorry for being such a pain in the neck, Colonel."

Hannibal was caught off guard by the last statement. "Face, what are you talking about? You are not a pain in the neck! Okay, maybe at times you can be," He joked with a wink. "Just kidding. You had an off day!"

"More like an off life," Face mumbled just barely loud enough for Hannibal to hear. The older man decided to ignore the comment as he didn't exactly know how to respond. Face had more heartache in his life than anybody should ever have to endure. Sometimes he wondered how he kept it together all these years and still had a relatively positive outlook on life. Maybe he was reaching his limit?

"Where are you hurt? And I want the truth, Lieutenant," Hannibal commanded.

"It really is just a few busted ribs." Face winced as he reached up and felt the knot on his head. "And I guess I hit my head pretty hard too."

"Any dizziness, headache or nausea?" Hannibal asked while gently probing Face's torso to find out where the breaks were.

"All of the above," Face answered through gritted teeth.

"Sorry, kid." He reached for the first aid kit. "Having any trouble breathing?"

Face shook his head no, but closed his eyes as the movement made him dizzy. "It hurts, but I can get the air in and out well enough I guess."

"Okay, I'm going to tape up your ribs and give you something to help you sleep. Hopefully your head will feel better by tomorrow. If not, we'll have to get that hard noggin of yours checked out." Hannibal finished tending to his patient and stayed with him until he fell asleep. As he walked down the stairs he could hear B.A. and Murdock bickering in the kitchen...some things would never change.

"Okay children...don't let me have to send you to your rooms," Hannibal jokingly threatened, having a seat at the kitchen table.

"How's Face doing?" Murdock asked, handing Hannibal a sandwich.

"He's sleeping now. I think he'll be okay in a couple of days." Hannibal took a bite of his sandwich. He would be okay physically, but he wasn't so sure about emotionally.

"Did he tell you what's been buggin' him?" B.A. inquired while pouring himself a large glass of milk.

"No. You know how Face is." B.A. and Murdock nodded their heads knowing exactly what he meant. "I've been thinking. Let's have a nice dinner tomorrow night. We all know that Face doesn't like his birthday, so let's try to take his mind off of it. But at least he'll know that we care."

"I think that's a good idea Colonel," Murdock said walking over to B.A. and putting his arm around his shoulder. "Me and the Baracan one here can take care of the menu."

"If you don't get away from me fool, the Baracan one is goin' to turn you into the Broken one." B.A. made a fist and held it in front of Murdock's face until Murdock carefully removed his arm and backed up. "But, yeah, crazy man and I will take care of the food."

"Face really needs us now, guys. He'd never admit it, but he does." Hannibal sat back in his chair and propped his legs up on the table. It was going to be a long couple of days.


	3. Chapter 3

Title: The Scream  
>Rating: PG<br>Summary: As his birthday arrives Face has some anger he needs to get out. 

_"Temp, dinner's ready!" a voice called from another room. He got up and walked toward the voice. A beautiful blonde woman stood in the kitchen stirring a pot of something that smelled delicious. _

_"I made your favorite. Can you open up that bottle of wine for me?" she asked reaching for a couple of wine glasses._

_"Sure. It smells wonderful. I hope you didn't go through too much trouble for me." he said marveling in just how beautiful she was._

_She tossed her hair over her shoulder and giggled, "It isn't every day the kids aren't home...I thought it called for something special."_

_"You are the only something special I need," he said handing the lady a glass and kissing her on the cheek."_

Face woke up the next morning with a smile on his face. That smile quickly faded as he realized that yet again it had all been a dream. The dreams had been so real and so wonderful. But then he would wake up and reality would come crashing down upon him. It didn't help matters that today were his birthday…the big 3-0…and what did he have to show for it? He didn't have long to wallow is his thoughts, however, before Murdock came bounding through the door.

"How you feeling on this fine morning, Facey?" he said plopping down on the bed. Noticing Face grimace as the bouncing jarred his ribs, he sat up straight and tried to stay still; not an easy thing for Murdock to do. "Sorry 'bout that," he grinned sympathetically.

"That's alright Murdock. I'm okay," he said not quite sure yet if he meant it or not.

"How okay is okay?" Murdock pressed. When Face gave him an exasperated look he added, "You know that Hannibal is going to ask you the same thing. Consider me practice." Face chuckled, knowing that Murdock had a point.

"Well, I won't be scaling any walls anytime soon, but I feel much better. I'm sore as heck, but at least my head isn't pounding anymore and the room isn't spinning."

"I'd say that is good news! Why don't I help you get dressed and we can head downstairs for some breakfast?" Murdock stood up slowly, trying to rock the bed as little as possible.

"Sounds good," Face said. The last thing Face wanted was for the team to think something was wrong. He was determined to make the best of things and put on a happy face as he had always done. "Fake it until you feel it" as one of his football coaches had told him years before. That phrase had stayed with him and that is the way he had lived his life. Even when he felt lousy, he would force himself not to let it show and push on. By acting happy, one can usually trick the mind into believing it is true. Lately, however, this was becoming harder and harder to do. Maybe his brain was catching on to the act…Face was surprised it had taken this long.

Face spent most of the day sleeping, watching TV or making small talk with the guys. By dinner time he was feeling more relaxed than he had in a long time. As they sat down at the table he realized that the meal was a bit more extravagant than their usual take-out. He wasn't sure if he liked the direction that this was going in. Hannibal stood at the head of the table looking almost as nervous as Face felt.

"We all know how you feel about this day of the year Face, so we aren't going to dwell on it. However, we just wanted to let you know that we are thinking about you and…um…show you that we…um…care." Hannibal didn't like to talk about feelings and mushy stuff like that. He quickly sat down and took a swig of his beer hoping that his face wasn't as red as it felt. Murdock and B.A. looked equally uncomfortable, looking down at their plates. Face felt as if he needed to say something to break the tension before their choked on it.

"Thanks for this and for...well...just thanks," he stammered looking down at his hands. Looking up he forced a smile and said, "Now let's eat!" And that is just what they did. They ate, drank and laughed like they hadn't done in a long time.

When dinner was over they moved into the living room and sat around reminiscing about the past. Everything was fine until the conversation started drifting to their childhoods. Face felt a twinge of anxiety and could feel himself starting to tense up. Had it not been for the alcohol that was consumed, the guys would probably have known better than to bring up the subject of their youths. Face, himself, had only had a couple of drinks as he was still taking some pain medication for his ribs. Drinking always made him more emotional and lowered his inhibitions; a key reason in why he didn't do much of it.

"Hey Faceman, what's the dumbest thing you did as a kid?" Murdock asked propping his head into his hand.

"I guess it would be jumping off the roof of the church rectory when I was about seven. Busted my ankle when I landed." Face answered, hoping that his answer would be sufficient and that they would move on to somebody else. No such luck, however, as the questions kept coming.

"Why did you jump off the roof?" questioned Hannibal.

"Monsignor McDonald was chasing me after he caught me stealing his cane out of his office." Face said massaging his temples; his head was starting to ache again. He loosened the top button on his shirt as the room suddenly felt a lot warmer.

"Damn Faceman, you was practicing your craft even back then. It's no wonder your such a good thief," B.A. giggled at his joke. Face felt as if he had been slapped. He only stole in his life when he had reason. Not that it made it right, but Face had never considered himself a thief.

"Actually, I stole the cane because the Monsignor had used it to beat the crap out of me a couple of days earlier. I wasn't going to let him use it to hurt me or any other boy ever again." Face's voice was low but the tone was hard and cold. Face was starting to lose control. He could feel his face getting hot as he dug his nails into the palms of his hands. His instinctively clenched his jaw and willed himself to breathe. But, his chest was tight and suddenly it was getting harder to get the air in. His vision was blurring as the tears formed in his eyes. Face didn't like to cry. He avoided it at all costs. He had to get out of there before he completely lost it in front of his friends. If he was going to crack, he wanted to do it alone.

Face grabbed his keys and bolted out the front door feeling their eyes upon him. He thought he heard Hannibal call out his name, but the sound of his racing heartbeat in his ears drowned it out. He started up the Vette and peeled out of the driveway into the dark night. He didn't know where he was going, and he didn't care. The tears were flowing freely by now creating a watercolor effect on his eyesight. He slammed his fist against the steering wheel as his rage continued to grow. He gripped the steering wheel with all of his might and squeezed until his hands started to ache.

Face had always pushed his feelings down. To the outside world he was confident, bordering on cocky. They saw him as a carefree conman with a handsome face that he used to get them what they needed. His friends called him Faceman for this very reason. He often found it quite ironic that he was called Face, yet he kept his real face hidden behind a smile most of the time. Under the mask was Templeton Peck...an insecure orphan who learned at an early age to keep his feelings hidden. It hurt too much to deal with them, so he would just ignore them and pretend that everything was okay. But everything wasn't okay and all the years of keeping everything inside was starting to take a toll on him physically and mentally. He was a ticking time bomb and it was only a matter of time before he went off.

Face pulled over to the side of the road. He sat there shaking; he didn't know what to do with all the anger he felt burning inside of him. He was angry that he was abandoned by his parents as a child and that he had to grow up all by himself and at such a young age. He was angry that he had to experience the horrors of Vietnam and that the team was wrongly convicted of a crime they didn't commit. He was just so very angry and didn't know how to fix it. He didn't know how to fix it, so instead he screamed. He screamed from the very depth of his soul. It came from his gut and out through his mouth. It was a primal sound that was foreign to his ears. He had never heard such a sound come from anybody or anything before, let alone out of his own mouth. But, God, did it feel good to let go! He continued screaming until his throat was raw and no more sound would come out.

Face felt numb...as if he had nothing left. It was a relief compared to the inner turmoil he had been carrying around with him of late. Sweat mixed with tears left a salty taste in his mouth. He put his head back against the headrest and closed his eyes. He knew he should head home and that the guys would probably start to worry, but he was too tired to move. He also knew that they hadn't meant to upset him; they were only joking around. Their words stung, but only because he was hurting to begin with. They couldn't know he would have the reaction that he did...heck, he didn't even expect it! It was the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back. Or, in this case, the joke that broke the Faceman's façade.


	4. Chapter 4

Title: The Scream  
>Rating: PG<br>Summary: As his birthday arrives Face has some anger he needs to get out. 

Back at the house, Hannibal, Murdock and B.A. had sobered up very quickly. B.A. sat with his head in his hands; Murdock was lying on the couch staring up at the ceiling; Hannibal was pacing back and forth trying to figure out how things went so wrong.

"Damn! I never meant to upset Faceman like that!," B.A. said shaking his head. "I was just foolin' around." Hannibal took a detour from the path he had been pacing to walk over to the muscular man. He put his hand on his shoulder and said, "Don't be so hard on yourself, B.A. It's not you he's upset with. He's fighting something inside himself right now."

Murdock swung his legs off the side of the couch and sat up. "But, we shouldn't have let the conversation go there...we know better than that! What are we gonna do, Colonel? Should we go after him?"

Hannibal had gone back to pacing, this time doing so with a freshly lit cigar in his hand. "No, I think what Face needs now is a little space...time to think." As much as he wanted to go running after his friend, he didn't want to chase him farther away in the process. He was, however, still worried about his physical injuries and it made him uncomfortable not to be able to keep watch over him. "If he isn't back in a few hours, we'll head out."

They sat waiting for Face for a couple of hours. Barely moving or speaking, each man was lost in his own thoughts. When they heard the Vette pull up the relief was overwhelming. Hannibal looked out the window and saw a very stiff looking Face walking slowly away from the house and toward the ocean.

"You think he's okay?" B.A. asked getting up to look out the window himself. Murdock followed suit and the three men stood there watching their friend take a seat on the sand.

"I don't know, but I'm going to go find out. You two stay here...I'll call for you if I need you." Hannibal pulled on his jacked and grabbed an extra one for Face. It was quite chilly outside and Face left just wearing a button-down shirt. He didn't want to startle the younger man, so as he got within earshot he called out to him, "Face, you okay?" God, it felt like he was asking that question an awful lot lately.

Face continued staring out at the water. To Hannibal's surprise he shook his head from side to side and answered, "No, I don't think I am." His voice was weak and raspy; his eyes were red and swollen.

"Tell me what's wrong, kid? Let me try to help you," Hannibal pleaded putting the jacket over Face's shoulders. He was really worried now. For Face to admit that something was wrong, it couldn't be good.

Face took a shuttering breath and said, "My life wasn't supposed to turn out this way. I'm a 30-year old fugitive who lies and cons people for a living. I'm such a loser." He hung his head so Hannibal couldn't see the tears that had again begun to flow. Hannibal took a seat on the sand next to his friend. His heart was breaking for Face; he didn't do anything to deserve this. Face picked up a shell and threw it at the ocean, "I've been having these dreams lately where I have a wife and kids...and a normal life. That's all I ever wanted, you know? A normal life...a family of my own."

Hannibal put his arm around Face's shoulder. "You have us, Face. I know it isn't exactly the kind of family you dream of, but we're here for you."

Face glanced over at the only man he had ever considered a father and gave him a small smile. "I know that. Really I do...and I'm more grateful for you guys than you'll ever know. But..." he started but then stopped and put his head in his hands.

"But what, Face?"

Face jumped up, a look of pain crossing his face from the sudden motion. "I'm just so damn angry! And I'm so tired of pretending that everything is okay when it isn't!"

"Then stop pretending. You can't keep everything inside...you have to get it out or it's going to eat you up from the inside out."

"I think I managed to get some of it out tonight," he said wrapping a hand around his aching throat.

Hannibal stood and walked over to Face. "There is a line in a song that I have always liked. It goes like this: 'Have you noticed that angry man can only get so far, before he reconciles the way he thinks things ought to be with the way they are.' Think about it, Face." The two men watched the ocean for a few minutes in silence, listening to the waves crash upon the shore.

Face dug his feet in the sand contemplating what Hannibal said. "I like that Hannibal…it makes a lot of sense." He began to feel a little lightheaded as the day was finally catching up with him. He started to stumble forward and Hannibal grabbed his arm and helped him sit back down on the sand. "I don't feel so good," he slurred lowering his head down to the ground. "I think I'm gonna lay down for a little while." Hannibal took off his jacket and put it under Face's head. "Happy birthday, Face," he whispered, wiping a tear out of his eye.

_"Face really looks at peace, doesn't he?" Murdock asked._

_"Yeah, he sure do," B.A. responded, his lips curling up into a rare smile. _

_Hannibal started to laugh. B.A. and Murdock turned their attention away from the sleeping Face and looked at their colonel wondering what was so funny. "I'm just not used to seeing the two of you agree on something!" _

_"What? Me and the Mudsucker agree all the time!" Murdock protested slapping B.A. on the back._

_"Yeah. We agree...we agree that he's a crazy fool." B.A. grinned slapping Murdock back. Murdock frowned and mouthed the word 'ouch'. "See, I told you we agree," he groaned._

Face woke up the next morning to the sound of seagulls flying overhead. He was covered in blankets and he felt so safe and warm. He opened his eyes slowly, sure that he would find he was dreaming again. Instead he found Hannibal, B.A. and Murdock sitting around him just as in his dream. When they saw he was awake all three of his "family" members smiled.

Maybe his life didn't turn out the way he may have expected, but at this moment he wouldn't change a thing.

The End

Note: The song I quoted is My Thanksgiving by Don Henley...one of my favorites! I used a little literary license as it was written about 15 years after this story takes place. Check the song out if you have a moment…it's very meaningful!


End file.
